Chapter 32 Billionaire's Scandal

• The hospital room was a cocoon of quiet, the hum of machines blending with Lily’s soft breathing in her carrier. Isabella sat on the edge of Richard’s bed, her fingers tracing the blanket’s worn threads. Max lingered near the door, arms crossed, his silhouette sharp against the dim hallway light. It had been a long day—Richard waking up, TitanCorp officially hers, Gerald’s threats hanging like smoke. But the air felt heavier now, charged with something unspoken. A year ago, before the crash that nearly killed her father, Richard had stood in front of cameras and accused Gerald Langston of murdering his wife, Elise—Max’s mother. No proof, just his word. Gerald denied it, slick as ever, and Max had stormed into his father’s office, demanding answers. “Did you do it?” he’d asked, voice cracking. Gerald’s laugh was ice-cold. “Richard’s a liar, son. Jealous, bitter—wants me gone.” Max believed him and clung to it. Richard’s crash came weeks later, silencing the accusation. Until now.
• Her phone buzzed on the bedside table—Tony, insistent. She snatched it up, keeping her voice low. “Yeah?”
• “Bella, it’s big,” Tony said, his words tripping over each other. “A video just dropped—Gerald and Elise. He pushed her down the stairs, and she fell—dead. It’s real, crystal clear. X, news sites, it’s everywhere. Viral in minutes.”